(L-R) Diego Luna, Elena Fortes, & Gael Garcia Bernal
Raising money for a new non-profit isn’t easy. Ambulante, the 2005 non-profit organization dedicated to promoting documentary film as a tool for social and cultural transformation, and founded by actors and filmmakers Diego Luna, Gael García Bernal, Pablo Cruz and Elena Fortes, has launched a campaign on Kickstarter to raise funds for its first USA documentary tour in Los Angeles, California.
For two weeks during September 21 to October 4, Ambulante California plans to travel throughout the Greater Los Angeles area to offer free documentary screenings at different alternative venues, from universities, high schools, and museums, to community centers, parks and makeshift outdoor spaces.
Christine Davila and Elena Fortes
Headed up by Sundance Film Festival Programming Associate Christine Davila, the Cali version of the fest will involve films that highlight Mexico’s political and social realities along with underrepresented voices from around the world. There will also be an open call for entries for a special section highlighting short docs produced in California. (Meet the women bringing Ambulante to the U.S.)
Ambulante California, in collaboration with the Ford Foundation, emerges as part of Ambulante Global, and represents the first official attempt to bring the successful mobile cinema model to the United States. The initiative’s long-term objective is to establish a U.S. non-profit to activate independent documentary tours across the United States. Since its inception nearly ten years ago Ambulante has traveled to over 12 different Mexican states and 16 countries abroad, in areas with limited access to film to diversify and democratize documentary culture, offering international documentary cinema for free.
Davila, director of Ambulante California talks about the importance of a festival like Ambulante, “Los Angeles has a vibrant social and cultural scene, but the reality is that there are numerous areas and populations often overlooked. This mobile platform let’s us go directly to these communities to broaden the reach of documentary cinema and develop diverse and multi-tier audiences.”
Each day the documentaries will tour different universities, highs schools, museums, community centers, outdoor venues, and makeshift spaces. Californians will even get a chance to vote on locations for the screenings. Keeping with their mission of connecting underserved audiences with films they may not normally see, all screenings are free.
CLICK here to support the Kickstarter campaign
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